When Kevin Hart had to pull out of the debut episode of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’ the ‘American Idol’ star’s back was against the wall. Thankfully, The Rock was willing to cut his honeymoon short to save the day!

“What none of you know is that my first guest today was supposed to be actor and comedian Kevin Hart,” said Kelly Clarkson, 37, in a clip from the debut episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Kevin, 40, who suffered a severe back injury in a Sept. 1 car crash, couldn’t make the show, so one of his close friends, as Kelly put it, “stepped the heck up”: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson! Dwayne, 47, according to Kelly, “left his honeymoon” to make sure that her show started off with some severe star-power. “His wife probably hates me,” Kelly joked, before introducing him as the star of “my favorite films, Jumanji!” With that, out came The Rock with a sunflower in his hand, a gift for the brand new daytime host.

Kelly wasn’t joking. The Rock’s appearance came about two weeks after he and his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Hashian, 34, tied the knot. They were wed in Hawaii on Aug. 18. Needless to say, Kevin — who starred in Central Intelligence and two Jumanji movies with The Rock — will have to get his friend a “Thank You” card when he gets out of the hospital.

The debut episode of The Kelly ClarksonShow was taped on Tuesday, Sept. 3, two days after Kevin, 40, had his terrifying accident. He was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when the car veered off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment. The car fell about 10 feet off the street, and the roof of the vehicle was crushed from the impact. There were two other people in the car – driver Jared Black and fiancé Rebecca Broxterman — but thankfully, there were no casualties.

An unidentified man made the 911 call after the crash. The witness said he saw Kevin’s car veer off the road. The caller said that everyone in the car was conscious, but “scared because they’re stuck in there.” Jared was able to free himself from the wreckage before first responders arrived, and the 911 caller said that the driver “looked hurt.” Both Jared and Kevin suffered “major back injuries” in the crash, while Rebecca was lucky. She walked away with only “minor” pains.

Kevin underwent successful back surgery not too long after the crash. “Kevin is resting and really appreciative that no one has died,” a source told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “He truly believes it is a miracle that everyone is OK and he is not going to take this time for granted.” It’s also safe to say that he isn’t going to take his friendship with The Rock for granted since Dwayne had his buddy’s back when the chips were down.

The Kelly Clarkson Show debuts on Sept. 9. Check local listings for time and channel.